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Behind the Bank

Issues · Issue #8 · · ~3-minute read

DBS's AI cut one hotline's calls 16%, and a record quarter

How DBS runs its contact centre on AI, Ecobank's digital push, Toss Bank's profit jump, Cash App's gross profit, and making AI the first line, not the last.

1. The Big One: DBS puts AI on the front line

The story. DBS Joy and digibot, its gen-AI assistants, now reach more than 10M users across Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. They are expected to handle over 1M chats a month. In Hong Kong, DBS said it would start rolling out "agentic" features to DBS Joy from 26 Sep 2026, so corporate users can complete some tasks, not just ask questions. digibot gets them in 2027 (DBS, 25 Sep 2026).

The numbers:

  • In Hong Kong, DBS Joy (its assistant for corporate and SME clients) has cut calls to the customer service hotline by 16%, DBS says. Since launch, about 30% of its users haven't needed a follow-up call, and satisfaction is above 4.2/5 (same source; DBS gives no period for the 16%).
  • Q2 2026: record net profit S$3.08B, up 9%. Cost-to-income ratio 39%, ROE 17.9% (DBS 2Q26).
  • Q2 2026 fee income S$1.46B, up 25% (DBS 2Q26 press statement).
  • DBS's AI and data analytics initiatives generated about S$1B of economic value in 2025, according to CNA (CNA, 6 Aug 2026).

Our read (opinion). The headline isn't the chatbot. It's a 39% cost-to-income ratio held while fees grow 25%. AI that cuts calls protects that ratio. The real test is agentic: once the bot moves money, every mistake is a complaint, not a bad answer.

2. The Scout

Three bets banks and challengers are making right now, and what they tell you.

  • Ecobank moves value, not volume (Africa). Digital transaction value rose 33% to $78.5B in H1 2026, while volume stayed flat at 118M (Ecobank H1 2026). What it tells you: bigger tickets, not more taps, are driving pan-African digital banking.
  • Toss Bank scales profit (APAC). H1 2026 net profit rose 45.8% to ₩58.9B, with 15.66M customers, up 21%, according to Asia Business Daily (Asia Business Daily, 31 Aug 2026). What it tells you: a younger Korean internet bank can grow profit fast.
  • Cash App grows gross profit (US). It had 59M monthly transacting actives in June 2026, and gross profit rose 31% in Q2 2026 (Block Q2 2026). What it tells you: the money is in earning more per user, not adding users.

3. The Playbook: Make AI the first line, not the last

What it is. Put AI in front of the queue and behind the agent at once. Lloyds' internal assistant, Athena, is used by 20,000 colleagues and cut search time by 66%. The group expects over £100M of value from next-gen AI in 2026 (Lloyds Banking Group, 29 Jan 2026).

How it runs. Let the bot take simple queries. Give human agents an assistant for the rest. Measure calls avoided and repeat contacts, not chats handled.

Your move. Report "contacts resolved with no follow-up" next to call volume.

APAC angle. ANZ's scam First Responders resolved 94% of scam-related calls at first contact between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (ANZ, 24 Aug 2026).

Not investment advice.

Sources